Modern Builder Vault: Zeal Guitars

While growing up in Kaiserslautern,
Germany, at age 13, the idea
occurred to Bastian Kanbach that making
guitars for a living must be one of the greatest
professions ever. But as a high school student
destined to attend university, the idea
of becoming a luthier also seemed irrational
and unimaginable to him since, at the time,
he thought there was no money in making
guitars and that being a luthier was a job for
passionate idealists. However, as graduation
approached, his interest in guitars and music
grew, and he started acquiring books, wood,
and tools to build his first electric guitar in
his parent’s basement. It was then he realized
that even if there wasn’t a lot of money in
making guitars, he was an idealist and this
was his passion.

In 2003, Kanbach moved to Klingenthal
where he spent three years in instrumentmaking
school and as an apprentice before
going to work for respected builder Siggi
Braun. Kanbach built more than 100 custom
guitars in two years under the guidance
of Braun then returned to his hometown
where he started to build on his own.
Shortly thereafter, he met another passionate
guitarist and gifted craftsman, Oliver
Reich, who became his business partner in
launching Zeal Guitars.

Working under the credo, “every instrument
has to be the best we’ve ever built,”
the young luthiers operate their two-man
shop with a passion to create original ideas
by incorporating unconventional thinking
and a “why not?” attitude. “The electric
guitar is still a young instrument and
has so much potential to be evolved and
designed,” says Kanbach. “I get the feeling
sometimes that our imagination of how an
electric guitar should look somehow got
stuck in the ’50s. Don’t get me wrong—
those are beautiful instruments, and we’re
not reinventing the guitar—but we are
always looking for new ways to design
our instruments and turn them into small
works of art.”

One such way Kanbach and Reich
push the boundaries of guitar design is
with their unique finishes. For example,
they were inspired by an interior design
where walls and furniture were treated to
look like solid concrete, and they wondered
if it could be done on a guitar. After
some trial and error, they discovered a
silicate compound that they apply with a
pallet knife, giving them the result they
were aiming for—a very robust surface
that bonds well with wood, looks like
concrete, and delivers “killer” sound. Not
stopping there, Kanbach and Reich also
like to work with different metal coatings
for their instruments, from steel to gold
brass to iron. “We experiment a lot,”
says Kanbach. “The possibilities are
almost infinite.”

But pushing boundaries in guitar design
doesn’t come without challenges. “It is
not easy as a total newcomer to get into
this market with rather unconventional
guitar designs, even if they’re of outstanding
quality,” says Kanbach. “It takes a lot
of time, effort, and patience to establish
a brand with new body shapes and crazy
surfaces.” Translating the communication
with a customer into an instrument also
takes great dedication, since they often
build guitars for customers they don’t
meet personally. “Building a good guitar
is one thing, but building a guitar that’s
perfectly tailored to the musician is always
a challenge,” shares Kanbach. As evidenced
by the care with which the two luthiers
approach their craft, it’s an adventure they
happily take on.

Pricing and Availability
Currently, instruments can only be ordered
direct from Zeal, though they plan to enlist a
few dealers worldwide for their spec models.
Kanbach and Reich always have some of
their spec models available at their workshop,
but most all of their instruments are made
to order or are completely custom. The wait
time for an instrument is 10-12 weeks, and
they are currently building 20-30 guitars
annually. While Kanbach and Reich want
Zeal to remain a small company, their plan
is to eventually take on another employee or
two in order to build 100 instruments a year.
Pricing ranges from $2,300 for a junior-style
spec model to more than $5,000 for certain
custom instruments, with most of their guitars
falling between $3,500 and $4,000.zeal-guitars.com

Concrete II
Featuring the aforementioned silicate finish,
which gives it the look of concrete, the Concrete
II is certain to turn heads. Utilizing maple for
the body and neck, Kanbach and Reich chose
nicely figured Makassar ebony for the fretboard.
Hardware appointments include the Schaller
Hannes bridge, Schaller M6 tuners, and Schaller
strap locks. For electronics, the Concrete II is
loaded up with a Häussel Tozz B in the bridge
and Häussel BigMags in the neck and middle
positions.

Cupido
Though it gives a nod to classic guitar design,
the polished gold-brass coating on the Cupido
is anything but ordinary. With maple topping the
mahogany body, a cocobolo fretboard tops the
mahogany neck, which has stripes of walnut and
maple. The Cupido is equipped with Schaller
M6 tuners, a Schaller GTM Tune-o-matic-style
bridge, and Schaller strap locks. And resting in
the chrome frames are the Häussel VIN N A2 and
VIN B A2 pickups.

Hydra
The understated Hydra is sure to please guitarists
who also have an appreciation for minimalist
design. The Hydra’s Honduras mahogany body
is topped with maple and finished in eggshell
white, while the bubinga neck is capped with
an ebony fretboard. Ebony is also utilized for
the frame surrounding the Hydra’s RVH Big
Humbucker pickup. For hardware, the Hydra
is equipped with Schaller M6 tuners, six ABM
single bridges, and Schaller strap locks.

The Nameless Beauty
The Nameless Beauty is a gorgeous example of
quality woods and details coming together into a
classically designed instrument. With highly figured,
AAAAA-grade quilted maple gracing both
the top and back of the mahogany body, Kanbach
and Reich went with Santos rosewood for
the neck and flamed katalox for the fretboard.
Outfitted with a package of Schaller hardware
including a GTM Tune-o-matic-style bridge
and M6 locking tuners, the Nameless Beauty is
equipped with a pair of Häussel Classic pickups
set in rosewood frames.

Mercury
The Mercury’s liquid-metallic finish is achieved
by combining very fine steel powder with a
special lacquer that’s applied to the base coat
with a spray gun. The surface then goes through
several sanding steps before it’s polished to
a high gloss. Outfitted with a Floyd Rose trem
and a Schaller hardware package, the Mercury
is equipped with a Häussel Tozz B in the bridge
and a Häussel VIN+ N in the neck.

Killerbass
A product of their custom shop, the Killerbass shows
Zeal’s acumen for building basses as well. The
“rusty” oxidized-iron finish of the Killerbass suggests
a road-worn axe that’s seen a few storms, but it’s
just another example of the experimental finish work
from Kanbach and Reich. Boasting a swamp-ash
body, and a maple neck and fretboard, this Killerbass
is equipped with an ETS Tuning Fork bridge system
and Gotoh tuners. Opting for a P/J-style configuration
for its output, this Killerbass Dioramic Signature
is loaded up with a Delano JVMC 4 FE/M2 in the
bridge and a Delano PVMC 4 FE/M2 in the neck.

Associate Editor Rich Osweiler started playing guitar at the tender age of 8, but over the years bass has become his main instrument. Prior to joining Premier Guitar, Rich worked at Acoustic Guitar for close to 10 years, most recently as associate publisher and director of marketing. He loves all types of music—from gypsy jazz to lo-fi and grindcore—provided the genre name isn’t preceded by the “contemporary” tag. Outside of music, Rich enjoys travel, skiing, backpacking, and learning how to be a dad. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, daughter, and their dog, Kiko.